Hokkaido Solo Cherry Blossom Hunting Tour in May 2025🌸 - Part 2

0800 early birds have breakfast to eat, the hotel is very close to "Nijo Market", 5 minutes walk to Nijo Market to eat seafood rice (4580yen), seaweed is very fresh and sweet, great satisfaction! ❤️ Get up early to drive nearly three hours to "Twenty Roads Cherry Blossom Street Tree", to be quite disappointed, because the cherry blossoms have withered, thought they were seeing the red leaves🙈, so do not stay, fly to "Toda Memorial Cemetery Park" See 8,000 cherry blossom trees in full bloom at Toda Memorial Cemetery Park in Atsuta, Hokkaido, Japan. Until recently, it was thought that the cherry trees in the area were impossible to bloom. Atsuta is the hometown of Toda Josei (1900-1958), the second president of the Soka Gakkai. President Toda died on April 2, 1958, at the age of 58. He devoted his life to reviving the spirit of Buddhism in modern times. When the third president Daisaku Ikeda established the Toda Memorial Cemetery Park there on October 2, 1977, he imagined Japan's famous Somei Yoshino cherry blossoms - the cherry blossoms beloved by his mentor, President Toda, would be in full bloom in the park. He imagined how they would delight local residents. However, the trees here never grew. Temperatures that drop below minus 18 degrees Celsius (about 0 degrees Fahrenheit) can freeze the roots of trees, crack their trunks, and have many other natural obstructions. The park’s chief gardener, Tadashi Sasaki, decided to accept the challenge. For ten years, Mr. Sasaki worked tirelessly to carefully wrap the trunk of each tree to keep it warm and meticulously trimmed unnecessary branches and improved soil. Eventually, he succeeded in what many considered impossible challenges—the cherry blossom trees in Atsuta bloomed beautifully and lushly. “Today, Mr. Toda’s statue gazes at his hometown of Hokkaido like a loving father, surrounded by 8,000 cherry blossom trees… This eternal oasis of tranquility is indeed a symbol of Soka’s triumphant struggle,” said President Ikeda. Return to Sapporo for a round of food and drink, to avoid cherry blossom fatigue, in the evening 2000 temporary add trip to AOAO SAPPORO to see penguins (entrance fee 2200yen) Walk to 2200 to have dinner しゃぶしゃぶ豚神開到0400 One person before Shabushabu chose the Shiretoko pork package, plus a drink (2770yen) The portion is not much, the taste is good, the price is not too high value for money for Japan, but satisfies the appetite. Hotel Accommodation: VIA INN PRIME Sapporo Odori - JR West Japan Group